In his first public comment since the museum disclosed last week that items were missing, stolen or damaged, the director, Hartwig Fischer, said at "every step" his priority had been the "care of the incredible British Museum collection".
He confirmed that allegations that items from the museum's world-class collections had gone missing were brought to their attention in 2021. "We immediately set up an investigation. Concerns were only raised about a small number of items, and our investigation concluded that those items were all accounted for. We now have reason to believe that the individual who raised concerns had many more items in his possession, and it's frustrating that that was not revealed to us as it would have aided our investigations.
Fischer added: "In 2022 we embarked on a full audit, which revealed a bigger problem. I reported my concerns to the trustees, and together we agreed to call in the police. We also then began the disciplinary process that resulted in a member of staff being dismissed.
"I am clear that at every step my priority has been the care of the incredible British Museum collection, and that continues today-with our commitment to learning lessons from the independent review, our determination to help the police with their criminal investigation, and our focus on the recovery programme."
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